Gateway of India to Raigad Fort tourism circuit planned

A unique seatfort-tourism circuit from the historic Gateway of India to the majestic Raigad Fort is being planned which would add to the fort and heritage tourism of Maharashtra.

The Raigad Fort is known as DurgRaj, the King of Forts is also referred to as the Gibraltar of the East. In 1674, legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj made Raigad Fort his capital. Shivaji Maharaj was crowned king in a ceremony on 6 June 1674 at Raigad Fort. Shivaji Maharaj passed away on 3 April, 1680 in this fort. From here, he laid the foundation of 'Hindavi-swarajya' or the self-rule of Hindu people.

President-nominated Rajya Sabha member SambhajiRaje Chhatrapati - who is a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformer Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, has mooted the proposal.

SambhajiRaje, who is the Chairperson of the Raigad Development Authority (RDA), has made a presentation to the Maharashtra government and held discussions with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray, who holds the Tourism, Environment, and Protocol portfolios.

“The government is very positive about the idea…they are very excited and we have made a detailed presentation,” SambhajiRaje, who belongs to the Kolhapur royal family, told DH in the Raigad Fort.

As part of the circuit, in one to two days, half a dozen forts in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai-Raigad coast could be covered.

The idea is to start from the Gateway of India and then sail to the twin forts of Kandheri and Undheri. Thereafter, the tourists would cover the Alibaug Fort, Padmadurg Fort, and then the Murud-Janjira Fort. After this, the tourists can land at the jetty of the Savitri River and from there drive down 32 km to the Raigad Fort.

In fact, after covering Raigad Fort they can even have the option to sail further south to Vijaydurg Fort to Sindhudurg Fort - and thereafter end voyage in Goa.

“We have to come out with innovative ideas and boost tourism…there is so much heritage and history to be shared with the future generations,” he said.

Khanderi Fort is named after Kanhoji Angre, the legendary Maratha admiral. This fort also has a lighthouse. Khanderi, along with its sister fort Undheri (Jaidurg) formed the major fortification along the Maharashtra coast. In 1679, Khanderi was occupied by the forces of Shivaji under the leadership of Maynak Bhandari, who oversaw the building of the fortifying walls. Subsequently, the fort was built to keep a check on the Siddis at Murud-Janjira fort and was the site of many battles between Shivaji's forces and the navy of Siddis.

The Murud-Janjira fort, which is on an island, was under the control of the Siddhis - and could never be conquered by anyone else. A special attraction of this fort is 3 gigantic cannons named Kalal Bangadi, Chavri, and Landa Kasam. These cannons were said to be feared for their shooting range. Once the island fort boasted 572 cannons.

The Alibaug Fort or Kulaba Fort was an important military fortification and one of the chief stations of the Maratha navy.

The Padmadurg Fort was built by Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This fort can also be viewed from Janjira.

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